In a large variety of technical applications, mechanical components are subjected to elevated temperatures and thus require cooling of the component. Examples, while non-limiting, may be found in components provided in furnaces, in hot fluids, such as e.g. combustion gases, and in hot fluid flows. For instance, components provided in or around the combustion chamber and the hot gas path of a gas turbine engine require cooling.
Efficient use of coolant is one key factor to efficient operation of gas turbine engines, in particular, if the coolant used is working fluid bled from a compressor. A factor which influences cooling efficiency is heat exchange between the material of the component and the coolant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,573 discloses to this extent a cooling system in a trailing edge of a turboengine airfoil which may be referred to as cyclone cooling. A number of cyclone cooling channels are provided inside the trailing edge and extend along a spanwise direction of the airfoil. The term spanwise shall in connection with an airfoil be understood as “along the direction in which a spanwidth extends”. A feed channel tangentially joins into a first cyclone channel which is disposed most upstream along the direction of a working fluid flow around the airfoil. Due to a coolant entering the cyclone channel in a tangential direction, the coolant develops a cyclone flow inside the cyclone channel and thus enhances heat transfer between the trailing edge material and the coolant. The coolant from the first cyclone channel is discharged through a channel which joins tangentially into the downstream next cyclone channel. The most downstream cyclone channel discharges the coolant at a downstream position of the trailing edge. It may be said, that a number of cyclone channels are provided in a staged manner in a streamwise direction and inside the trailing edge volume. The fluid communication between the cyclone channels is provided inside the trailing edge volume. It may thus be said that according to the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,573 a number of cyclone cooling channels is provided within the volume of an airfoil trailing edge. The fluid communication between the cyclone cooling channels is provided through communication channels which are also provided inside the trailing edge volume. Cooling of the wall of the component is effected from the surface of the wall.
Further, efficient cooling and a minimization of temperature mismatches inside a mechanical component is important to improve the lifetime of mechanical components which are subjected to heat intake at elevated temperature levels. One factor which influences temperature mismatch is the distribution of coolant temperature at different locations of the component.